An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

Handsome Mark Callender did not die the way a young gentleman should. He was found hanged, a lipstick stain on his mouth and a nude girl's picture nearby. The official verdict was suicide, but his aristocratic father suspects murder.

He hires Cordelia Gray, a fledgling detective, to investigate. And as she follows a trail of guilty secrets and shameful sins, she concludes that the nicest people do the nastiest things!

Innocent Blood

Adopted as a child into a privileged family, Philippa Palfrey fantasizes that she is the daughter of an aristocrat and a parlor maid. The terrifying truth about her parents and a long-ago murder is only the first in a series of shocking betrayals. Philippa quickly learns that those who delve into the secrets of the past must be on guard when long-buried horrors begin to stir.

The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories

Four previously uncollected stories from one of the great mystery writers of our time - swift, cunning murder mysteries (two of which feature the young Adam Dalgliesh) that together, to borrow the author's own word, add up to a delightful "entertainment".

Death Comes to Pemberley

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

The Black Tower

Dr. Hector Carpentier leads a very quiet life, until he meets legendary police officer Vidocq, who has used his mastery of disguise and surveillance and his extensive knowledge of the Parisian underworld to capture some of the most notorious and elusive criminals.

Still Life: Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 1

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

From Doon with Death: A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 1 (Unabridged)

The first case for DCI Reg Wexford. When Margaret Parsons disappears, it's assumed that she's run off with another man. But then the missing woman's body is found and a startling discovery is made when Mr. Parsons lets the police into his home...

When It Grows Dark

Stavern, 1983. After a brutal robbery, a young policeman named William Wisting is edged off the investigation by more experienced officers, but soon he is on another case that has not even been recognised as murder. Forgotten in a dilapidated barn stands a bullet-riddled old car, and it looks as if the driver did not get out alive. This case will shape William Wisting as a policeman and give him insight that he will carry with him for the rest of his career.

The Daughters of Cain

Little progress had been made by the Thames Valley Police since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The victim had been killed by a single stab wound to the stomach. The police had no weapon, no suspect, no motive, but within days of taking over the investigation, Chief Inspector Morse and Detective Sergeant Lewis uncover startling new information about the life and death of the victim, Dr. Felix McClure, late of Wolsey College, Oxford.

Whose Body? first introduced Lord Peter to the world and begins with a corpse in the bath of a London flat. Clouds of Witness finds Wimsey investigating murder close to home, and in Unnatural Death he investigates the suspicious demise of an elderly woman. First broadcast on BBC radio in the 1970s and presented here in their entirety, these full-cast adaptations are admired by fans of the genre worldwide.

Beau-Geste Washington says:"Great to have the LPW stories on Audible."

Magpie Murders: A Novel

When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway's latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the best-selling crime writer for years, she's intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan's traditional formula has proved hugely successful.

Whose Body?

Amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey sets out to unravel a puzzling case involving the disappearance of a wealthy financier and the discovery of a corpse in a bathtub. He does succeed in solving things to everyone's ultimate satisfaction, but only after a series of bloodcurdling and hair-raising episodes that will hold the listener spellbound with anticipation.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

Judi Bowker and Anna Massey star in this gripping BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation featuring young detective Cordelia Gray. Mark Calendar, 21 years old and in his final year at Cambridge, leaves university without warning and takes a job as a gardener. Eighteen days later he is found hanging in the cottage where he lived. The verdict at the inquest is suicide.

Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series Compilation (Cherringham 1 - 3)

Jack's a retired ex-cop from New York, seeking the simple life in Cherringham. Sarah's a Web designer who's moved back to the village find herself. But their lives are anything but quiet as the two team up to solve Cherringham's criminal mysteries. This compilation contains episodes 1 - 3: MURDER ON THAMES, MYSTERY AT THE MANOR and MURDER BY MOONLIGHT.

Murder of a Lady

Duchlan Castle is a gloomy place in the Scottish Highlands. Late one night the body of Mary Gregor, sister of the laird, is found in the castle. She has been stabbed to death in her locked bedroom. The only tiny clue to the culprit is a silver fish's scale, left on the floor next to Mary's body. Inspector Dundas is dispatched to investigate. The Gregor family and their servants are quick to explain that Mary was a kind and charitable woman, but Dundas uncovers a more complex truth.

A Man Lay Dead

Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....

The Crime at Black Dudley: An Albert Campion Mystery

When George Abbershaw is invited to Black Dudley Manor for the weekend, he has only one thing on his mind - proposing to Meggie Oliphant. Unfortunately for George, things don't quite go according to plan. A harmless game turns decidedly deadly and suspicions of murder take precedence over matrimony. Trapped in a remote country house with a murderer, George can see no way out. But Albert Campion can.

Masked Ball at Broxley Manor: A Royal Spyness Novella

At the end of her first unsuccessful season out in society, Lady Georgiana has all but given up on attracting a suitable man - until she receives an invitation to a masked Halloween ball at Broxley Manor. Georgie is uncertain why she was invited, until she learns that the royal family intends to marry her off to a foreign prince, one reputed to be mad.

Publisher's Summary

Cheverell Manor is a lovely old house in deepest Dorset, now a private clinic belonging to the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell. When investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn arrived there one late autumn afternoon, scheduled to have a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar removed, she had every expectation of a successful operation and a pleasant week recuperating.

Two days later she was dead, the victim of murder. To Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who with his team is called in to investigate the case, the mystery at first seems absolute. Few things about it make sense. Yet as the detectives begin probing the lives and backgrounds of those connected with the dead woman the surgeon, members of the manor staff, close acquaintances suspects multiply all too rapidly. New confusions arise, including strange historical overtones of madness and a lynching 350 years in the past. Then there is a second murder, and Dalgliesh finds himself confronted by issues even more challenging than innocence or guilt.

P. D. James has gained an enviable reputation for creating detective stories of uncommon depth and intricacy, combined with the sort of humanity and perceptiveness found only in the finest novelists. The Private Patient ranks among her very best.

She's good with the female voices, but the male voices tend to sound similar, very precise and even stuffy (including Dalgleish). Wish Charles Keating was still reading James; I thought he did an excellent job with The Lighthouse.

As an avid reader (or rather listener) of PD James novels I feel compelled to write this negative review. The plot is well developed and holds your interest but there is so much padding and rambling about foodstuffs and other irrelevant topics, you feel like asking the author to get on with the story. Worst of all is the narrator and the dreadful snobbish and in my experience false English accents we have to endure.

After getting past the narrator's inability to capture what I feel AD should sound like, this is another of the wonderful books by PD James that I enjoy listening to. The audio version allows me to listen to the symphony PD James composes with her words. Listening to the side descriptions that set up the plot is a joy. For some reason I miss this when I read the same material. Not many writers can capture me like this.

I have been waiting for the latest P.D. James for quite a while. James is one of the authors whose books I download automatically with no need to sample.

"The Private Patient" is the ultimate P.D. James. First, she brings on her customary detail in setting the scene and creating sense of place. Then the characters appear, with their individual quirks, eccentricities and baggage, including motive, means, and opportunity. P.D. James writes a novel that just happens to be a mystery, not the other way around, and her narrative is full of emotional nuance and relatable situational backstories.

I have only one suggestion that would enhance the reader's experience: give us a "Cast of Characters" and a one-liner about the history of each one.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Private Patient to be better than the print version?

I love P.D. James despite some irritating things that persist book after book. I don't really need to bear witness to every single shower her characters take -- I'd be happy to stipulate to their probable adequate personal hygiene. And she always must bounce in at least one character I'd be willing to kill myself.

Would you be willing to try another book from P. D. James? Why or why not?

Of course, I'll go on reading (or listening) as the good far outweighs the bad.At least "The Private Patient"'s annoying characters aren't as bad as that awful cleaning woman and her thuggy sidekick who nearly ruined the wonderful "Murder Room" whining about her cottage, or the truly creepy incestuous pair that almost spoilt the excellent "Death in Holy Orders".

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

I liked her voice, and she didn't ham it up. As for Dalgleish, I think she read him right -- pretentious, just a bit arrogant and dare I say boring.

Agree with other reviewers that the narrator does not do justice to the male characters, especially. Inspector Dalgliesh sounds much more pompous than I have to believe the author intended. It can also be hard to differentiate between characters. Plot started well but didn't hold too much suspense after 2/3 complete, then it is just winding the story down. Having read all the Dalgliesh books, this was a disappointment

P. D. James is one of those authors that describes things so well you could listen to her describe a flower pot. This book has some terrifying moments and I detected a slight gothic feeling much like the "Black Tower." Some things were not explained at the end and the murderer was revealed quite a while from the end. Partly this was due to James's wish to not be confused with Agatha Christie. Her books never have the fantastic endings of a Christie novel and are in fact not her strongest point. It is the journey not the destination that is key.

Yes - it's plot and characters are complex enough that a second or third listen could be enjoyed. PD James has a wonderful way with words and I always add to my dictionary when reading her.

Which character – as performed by Rosalyn Landor – was your favorite?

She was good with all the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is too long for that one sitting but makes you want to get back to it right away.

Any additional comments?

PD James is my absolute favourite mystery author and this read was great. I have tried to listen to Penelope Dellaportia's reads but they fall far short of the mark so it was pleasant to find a good reader attached to one of the Queen of Crime's books! Please make more!